Dubliner Padraig Harrington is one of Ireland’s finest sportspeople and undoubtedly one of the world’s top golfers, with a playing record that speaks for itself.
Padraig is a golf legend and is competing in the 86th edition of The Masters, alongside golf alumni Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Tiger Woods.
The youngest of five sons of Patrick and Breda Harrington, his father "Paddy" (1933-2005), was a Garda played who Gaelic Football for Cork in the 1950s and was a keen boxer and hurler.
Read more: All about Padraig Harrington
Harrington has won 15 times on the European Tour and 31 times in total as a pro, highlighted by his three major victories at the 2007 and 2008 Opens and the 2008 PGA Championship, and is 148 in the world ranking.
As a three-time major champion, Padraig is globally recognized as an elite pro golfer.
Following a very successful amateur career, including winning the Walker Cup in 1995 at Royal Porthcawl.
In one of his three Walker Cup appearances, he turned professional in September 1995.
Family life
Padraig, 50, is a proud family man and has known his wife Caroline since his youth.
The couple were childhood sweethearts and met at Stackstown Golf Club, as Caroline herself loves golf and was a keen player.
It took a couple of months before Padraig finally asked her out, and he took her to the cinema for their first date.
The golf fanatics have two children Patrick and Ciaran.
In 2017, they celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on a low key night out at Bunsen restaurant.
Padraig took to Twitter at the time to mark the milestone and said: “I’m such a romantic, my 20 year wedding anniversary lunch today. #burgerandchips.”
After leaving school, Harrington mixed amateur golf with studying Accounting. He passed his final exams in 1994 to gain admittance to ACCA.
Harrington tied the knot with long term partner Caroline back in 1997 and she has been by his side ever since.
The family are settled close to where they both grew up, and live in Rathmichael in a stunning home, complete with a games room and golf simulator.
Caroline is the event organiser for the annual Crystal Ball for the Make A Wish foundation, and often accompanies Padraig to tournaments around the world.
Caroline works with Padraig on occasion, and notably designed ladies’ golf wear for Dunnes Stores, under her husband’s name.
The three-time major winner has his major trophies on his kitchen table and says he does it so he can enjoy seeing them every day.
The house also has a game room and a golf simulator.
Harrington's eldest brother, Tadhg, is a professional golf coach who owns and teaches at the Harrington Golf Academy in Dublin.
The family also have a dog called Wilson, named after Harrington's successful partnership with the golf brand Wilson Staff.
Harrington is a patron of the Irish charity Oesophageal Cancer Fund (OCF) since 2006, having lost his father to oesophageal cancer in 2005.
Read more: How much will each golfer make at the 2022 Masters?
Read more: Rory McIlroy 'didn't know' Padraig Harrington was in Masters field
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